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WEEKEND CONFERENCE WILL EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF MEDITATION IN THE WORLD'S RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS June 14 and 15 Conference "Meditations, Self-Reflections, and Therapy: Sacred and Personal" will be presented by the Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-The Institute of Advanced Theology (IAT) at Bard College will present a two-day conference on the history of meditation within the world's religions on Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15. The conference, "Meditations, Self-Reflections, and Therapy: Sacred and Personal," will include workshops, panels, and discussions; preregistration and prepayment of the $50 fee ($40 for members of the IAT, or $20 for panels only, no meals) is requested.

The program includes panels on meditation traditions in East Asia and within Christianity, Judaism, Neoplatonism, and Islam, as well as practical workshops in Buddhist and Jewish meditative techniques.

"The Institute is convening this conference in order to analyze the forces within particular religions that have occasioned the emergence of these distinctive approaches to meditation," says Rev. Dr. Bruce Chilton, executive director of the IAT, Chaplain of the College, and Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard. "We also hope to explore how and understand why these approaches have been taken up in contemporary culture."

The Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard College was established to foster critical understanding, based on scholarship that will make true religious pluralism possible. Since its inception in 1996, the Institute's work has focused on how religions influence history, society, and other religions, and are in turn influenced by them. The Institute gratefully acknowledges support provided by members of the Institute, the Crohn Family Trust, and the Tisch Family Foundation, as well as grants from The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the American Council of Learned Societies, and Bard College.

For further information or to register for the conference, call the IAT office at 845-758-7279,
e-mail iat@bard.edu, or visit the website www.bard.edu/iat.